SERMON XXXI
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The Method of Grace.
difcernwhether ever Chriſt hath been effectually applied to his foul.
That which remains is An use of Lamentation.
Wherein the miferable and moſt wretched ſtate of all thoſe towhom Jeſus Chriſt is not effectually applied,willbe yet more particularly diſcovered, andbewailed.
** SERMON XXXI.
Ofthe State of Spiritual Death, andtheMifery thereof.
Eph. v. 14. Wherefore he faith, Awake thou that fleepest, and arife from the dead, and Christshallgive thee light.
TH HIS ſcripture repreſents unto us the miferable, and lamentable ſtate of the unregenerate, as being under the powerof ſpiritual death, which is the cauſe, and inlet of all other miſeries . From hence, therefore, I ſhall make the firſt diſcoveryofthe woful, and wretched ſtateofthem that applynot
Jeſus Chriſt to their own fouls.
The ſcope of the apostle in this context, is to preſs believers toa circumſpect, and holy life; to " walk as children of light."
This exhortation is laid down inver. 8. and preſſed bydivers arguments in the following verſes.
First, From the tendency ofholy principles, unto holy fruits and practice, ver. 9, 10.
Secondly, From the convincing efficacy of practical godliness, uponthe confciences of the wicked, ver. 11 , 12, 13. It awes,
and convinces their confciences.
Thirdly, From the co-incidence of ſuch a converſation with thegreatdeſign, anddriftof the ſcriptures ; which is to awakenmen, by regeneration, out of that ſpiritual ſleep, or rather death, which finhath caſtthem into: and this is the argument of the text, Wherefore he faith, Awake thou that fleepest, &c.
There is ſome difficulty in the reference of theſe words.
Some think it is to Ifa. xxvi. 19."Awake and ſing ye thatdwell in " the duft."
Others to Ifa. lx. 1. " Ariſe, ſhine, for thy light " is come," &c.
But most probably, the words neither refer tothis, or that particularly, but to the drift and ſcope of the whole ſcriptures, which were inſpired, andwritten upon this greatdeſign, to awaken, and quicken fouls out of the ſtate of
SERM. XXXI.
The Method of Grace. ſpiritual death. And in them we are toconfider theſe three things, more diſtinctly, and particularly.
1. The miferable ſtate of the unregenerate ; they are asleep anddead.
: 2. Their duty; which isto " awake, and ſtandup from the "dead."
3. The powerenabling them thereunto; " Chriſt ſhall give " theelight."
First, The miferable ſtate ofthe unregenerate, repreſented underthenotions offleep, and death; both expreſſions intending one and theſame thing, though with ſome varietyofnotion.
The Chriſtleſs, and unregenerate world is inadeep fleep ; a fpirit ofſlumber, fenfeleſneſs, and ſecurity is fallen upon them, though they lie expoſed immediately to eternal wrath and mifery, ready todrop into hell every moment.
Just as man that is faſt aſleep inahouſe on fire, andwhilst the conſumingflames are round about him, his fancy is ſporting itſelf in ſome pleafantdream; this is a very lively reſemblance ofthe unregeneratefoul. Butyet he that ſleeps hath the principle of life entire inhim, though his ſenſes be bound, and the actions of life fufpendedby fleep.
Leſt therefore we ſhould think it is only ſowith the unregenerate, theexpreſſion is deſignedly varied, and thoſe that were faid to be afleep, are poſitively affirmed tobe dead; onpurpoſe toinformus that itis not a fimplefufpension of the acts, and exerciſe, but a total privation, of the principle ofſpiritual life, which is the miſery ofthe unregene. rate.
: Secondly, We havehere theduty oftheunregenerate, which isto " awake out of ſleep, and arife from thedead."
This is theirgreatconcernment : nodutyin theworld is ofgreaternecefſityand importance to them. " Strive (faith Chrift)to enter in " at the ſtrait gate," Luke xiii. 24. Andthe order oftheſe duties is very natural. Firſt awake, then arife. Startling, and roufingconvictions makeway for ſpiritual life; till God awake us by convictions of our misery, we will never be perfuaded to arife, andmove towards Chriſt for remedyandfafety.
Thirdly, Butyou will say, if unregeneratemenbe dead men, to what purpoſeis it toperfuade them toarife and ſtand up :
The very exhortation ſuppoſes ſome powers or ability in the unregenerate ; elle vain are they commanded to arife *. This
* Though the words ſeem to import a willingness firſt to awake and rife, and then to be enlightened, yet we are to underſtand, that it is by the efficacy ofChriſt's light that the finner is made to awake and rife.
Roll. on theplace.
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The Method ofGrace.
difficulty isſolvedin thisvery text, thoughtheduty is ours, yet the power is God's. Godcommands thatin hisword, whichonlyhisgrace canperform. " Chriſt ſhall give thee light." Popiſh commentatorswould build the tower offree-willuponthis ſcrip. ture, by a very weak argument, drawn fromthe order wherein theſe things arehere expreſſed ; which isbut a weak foundation tobuild upon, for it is very uſual in ſcripture toput the effect before, andthe cauſe after, asit ishere, ſoin Iſa,xxvi. 19. "A- " wake and fing, yethatdwellin thedust." But Iwill not here intanglemy diſcourſe with that controverfy, thatwhich I aim at is plain inthe words, viz.
Doct. That all Chriſtless fouls are under thepower of fpiritualdeath ; they areinthestate ofthedead.
Multitudesof teftimonies aregivenin ſcripture to this truth; Eph. ii. 1, 5. "You hath he quickenedwhoweredead intref- " paſſes and fins." Col. ii. 13. "Andyou beingdead in your
" ſins, andthe uncircumcifion ofyour fleſh, hathhe quickened " together with him ;" with manyotherplaces ofthe fame importance. But the method in which I ſhalldiſcourſe this point willbe this :
First, I willſhewyou in what ſenſe Chriſtleſs, and unregeneratemen are faid tobedead.
Secondly, What the ſtate ofſpiritualdeath is.
Thirdly, How it appears that all unregeneratemen are in this fad ſtate.
And then apply it.
First, Inwhat ſenſe are Chriſtleſs, andunregeneratemen faid tobedead men.
To openthis, we must knowthere is athree-fold death, viz.
1. Natural.
2. Spiritual.
3. Eternal.
Natural death is nothing elſebut the privationof the principle ofnatural life, orthe ſeparationofthefoulfromthe body,
James ii. 26. " The body without the ſpirit is dead."
Spiritualdeath is the privation of the principle ofſpiritual life, or the want and abſence ofthe quickening Spirit ofGod in the foul; the foul is the life ofthe body, and Chrift is the life of thefoul; the abſenceofthe foul isdeath tothe body, and the abſence, or want of Chriſt isdeath to the foul.
Eternal death isthe ſeparation bothofbodyand foulfrom God, which is the miſery ofthe damned. Now chriſtleſs, and unregeneratemen are not dead inthe firſt ſenſe; they are naturally alive though theyaredeadwhile they live : nor are they yetdead in the last ſenſe, eternally ſeparated fromGod, by an irrevocable fentence
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asthedamned are; but they are deadinthe ſecond ſenſe ; they are ſpirituallydead, whilft they are naturallyalive; and this ſpiritualdeath is the fore-runner of eternal death. Now ſpiritual death isput in fcriptureinoppoſitionofatwo-fold ſpiritual life, viz.
1. The life ofjuſtification.
2. The life ofſanctification.
Spiritual death, in oppoſition to the life of juſtification, is nothingelsebut the guilt of finbringing us under the ſentence ofdeath.
Spiritualdeath, in oppoſition tothe life of ſanctification, is the pollution, or dominion of fin.
In both theſe ſenſes, unregenerate men are dead men; but it is the last which I amproperly concerned to ſpeak to in thisplace : and therefore,
• Secondly, Let us briefly confider what this ſpiritual death is, which, as before was hinted, is the absence of the quickening
Spirit of Chrift fromthe foul of anyman.
That foul is adead foul, into which the Spirit of Chriſt is not infuſed in thework ofregeneration ; and allits works are dead works, as they are called, Heb . ix.14.
For, look how itis with the damned, they live, they have fenfe and motion, and an immortality in all theſe; yet becauſe they are eternally ſeparatedfrom God, the life which they live, deſervesnot the name of life, but it is every where in ſcripture ſtiled death: ſo the unregenerate, they are naturally alive ; they eat, and drink, they buy, and fell, they talk, and laugh, they rejoice in the creatures; and many of them ſpend their days in pleaſures, and then godown to the grave.
This is the life they live, but yet the ſcripture rather calls itdeath than life; becauſe though they live, yet it iswithoutGod in the world, Eph. ii. 12. though they live, yet it is a life alienated from the life ofGod, Eph. iv. 18.
And therefore while they remain naturally alive, theyare in ſcripture ſaid " to remain in death," I John iii. 14. and tobe " dead while
" they live,"
I Tim. v. 6. And there is great reaſonwhy a Chriſtleſs, anunregenerate ſtate, ſhouldbe repreſented in ſcripture under the notion of death; for there is nothing in nature which more aptlyrepreſents that miferable ſtateofthefoul, than natural deathdoth.
The dead fee, anddifcern nothing ; and thenaturalmanperceiveth not the things that areofGod. The dead have nobeauty, or defireableness inthem ; "Bury my
" dead, (faid Abraham,) out of my fight:" neither is there any ſpiritual loveliness inthe unregenerate. True it is, ſome of them have ſweet natural qualities, and moral excellencies, which are engagingthings; but theſe are ſo many flowers,deck
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ing andadorning adeadcorpſe. The dead are objects ofpity, and great lamentation : menuſe tomourn for the dead, Eccl. xii. 5. "Man goeth to his longhome, and the mournersgo a- " bout the ſtreets." But unregenerate, and Chriſtleſs ſouls, are much more the objects of pity and lamentation. How are all the people ofGod (eſpecially thoſe that are naturally related tothem) concerned to mourn over them, and for them, asAbraham did for Ishmael, Gen. xvii. 18. " O that Ishmael might
" live before thee." Upon theſe, and many other accounts, the ſtate of unregeneracy is repreſented to us in the notion of death.
Thirdly, And that this is the ſtate ofallChriſtleſs, and unfanctified perfons, will, undeniably, appear two ways.
1. The causes of ſpiritual lifehave not wrought upon them .
2. The effects and ſigns of ſpiritual life, do not appear in them; and therefore they are in the ſtate, and under the power, ofſpiritual death .
First, The causes of ſpiritual life have not wrought upon them.
There are two cauſes of ſpiritual life, 1. Principal, and internal.
2. Subordinate, and external.
Theprincipal, internal cauſe of ſpiritual life, is the regenerating Spirit of Chrift, Rom. viii. 2. " The lawof the Spirit of " life in ChriftJefus, hathmade me free from the law offinand death."
It is the Spirit, as a regenerating Spirit, that unites us with Chriſt, inwhom all ſpiritual life originally is, John v.
25, 26. " Verily, I say untoyou, thatthehour is coming, and " now is, when the dead ſhall hear the voice of theSon ofGod :
" and they that hear, ſhall live : For as the Father hath life in " himself, ſohath he given to the Son tohave life inhimself."
Asall the members ofthe natural body receive animation, ſenſe, and motion, by their unionwith their natural head ; ſo allbelievers, the members of Chriſt, receive ſpiritual life and animation by their union with Chriſt their myſtical head, Eph . iv.
15, 16.
Except we come to him, and be united with him in the way of faith, wecanhave no life in us, John. v. 40. " Ye
" will not come unto me that ye may have life." Now the Spirit ofGod hath yet exertednoregenerating, quickening influences, nor begotten any ſpecial ſaving faith in natural, unfanctified men; whatever he hathdone for them in theway of natural, or ſpiritual common gifts, yethe hath not quickened themwith the life ofChriſt. And as for thefubordinate external means oflife, viz. the preachingofthe gospel, which is thein
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ſtrument of the Spirit in this glorious work, and is therefore called, The word oflife, Phil. ii. 16.
This word hath not yet been made a regenerating quickening wordto their fouls.
Pofſibly it hath enlightened them, and convinced them: it hath wroughtupon their minds in the way ofcommon illumination, andupon their confciences, in the way of conviction, but not upon their hearts and wills, by way of effectual converfion.
To this day the Lord hath not given them an heart opening itſelf, in the way offaith, to receive Jeſus Chriſt .
Secondly, The effects and ſigns of ſpiritual life, do not appear inthem : For, First, They haveno feeling, or ſenſe of miſery, and danger.
Imean, noſuch ſenſeas throughlyawakens them toapplyChrift their remedy.
That ſpiritualjudgment lies upon them, Iſa. vi.
9, 10. " And he said, Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, " but underſtand not; and ſee ye indeed, but perceive not ;
" make the heart ofthis people fat, and their ears heavy, and " ſhut their eyes."
Secondly, They have no ſpiritual motions towards Chriſt, or after things that are ſpiritual; allthe arguments in the world cannot perfuade their wills to move one ſtep towards Chriſt in thewayoffaith, John v. 40. Ye will not come unto me : Were there a principle ofſpiritual life in their fouls, they would move
Chriſt-ward and heaven-ward, John iv. 14.
It would be in them awell ofwater ſpringingup into eternal life. The natural tendency ofthe ſpiritual life is upward.
Thirdly, The unregenerate have no appetite unto ſpiritual food; they favour not things that are ſpiritual ; they can go from week to week, and from year to year, all their life-time, without any communionbetwixt God and their fouls, and feel no need ofit, nor anyhungerings nor thirſtings after it; which could never be, ifa principle ofſpiritual life were in them ; for thenthey would" eſteem the words ofGod's mouth more than
" their neceſſary food," Job xxx. 12 .
Fourthly, They have no heat, or ſpiritual warmth, in their affections toGod, and things above ; their hearts are as cold as a ftone to ſpiritual objects. They are heated, indeed, by their luſts, and affections to the world, and the things ofthe world : but O how cold, and dead are they towards Jeſus Chriſt, and ſpiritual excellencies.
Fifthly, They breathe not ſpiritually, thereforethey live not ſpiritually : werethere a ſpiritual principleoflife in them, their fouls would breathe afterGod in ſpiritual prayer, Acts ix. 11.
" Behold he prayeth." The lips of the unregenerate may
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The Method of Grace. move in prayer, but their hearts and defiresdonot breathe and pantafterGod.
Sixthly, They haveno cares, or fears, for ſelf-preſervation, which is always the effect of life; the poorest flie, or fillieſt worm, will ſhundanger: the wrath ofGod hangs over them in the threatenings, but they tremble not at it: hell is but a little before them; they are upon the very precipice ofeternal ruin, yet will uſe no means to avoid it. How plain, therefore, isthis ſad caſe, which I have undertaken here to demonſtrate, viz. thatChriſtleſs and unregenerate fouls are dead fouls ? The uſes follow.
Infer. 1. If all Chriſtleſs and unregenerate foulsbedeadfouls, then how little pleasurecan Christians take in thefociety of the unregenerate?
Certainly, it isno pleaſure for theliving to converſe among thedead.
It was a cruel torment, invented by Mezentius the tyrant, to tie adead and living man together. The pleaſure of ſociety arifes from the harmony ofſpirits, and the hopes of mutualenjoyment in the world tocome; neither of which can ſweeten the ſociety of thegodlywith the wickedin thisworld *.
It istrue, there is a neceſſary civil converſe which we must have with the ungodlyhere ; or elſe, (as the apostle ſpeaks), wemust goout of the world.
There are alſoduties of relation, which muſt be faithfully and tenderly paid, even tothe unregenerate : but certainly, where we have ourfreeelection, we shallbe much wanting both toour duty and comfort, if we make not the people of God our choſen companions.
Excellently to this purpoſe ſpeaks a modern author t, "Art thou agodly maſter ?
"when thou takeſt a ſervant into thine houſe, chuſe for God, "
" as well as thyſelf. A godly ſervant is a greater bleſſing than we think on: he can work, and ſet God on work alſo for his
" maſter'sgood, Gen. xxiv. 12. " O LordGod ofmy maſter A- " braham, I pray thee, ſendme good ſpeed this day, and thew
" kindneſs unto my maſter." And ſure he did his maſter as much " ſervice by his prayer, as by his prudence, in thatjourney.Holy David obſerved, while he was at Saul's court, the mif- " chief of having wicked andungodly ſervants,(for with ſuch
G2 * As diſeaſes bred in one part of the body, uſe to ſpread their pernicious influence to the other members which are near to that part; ſo the vices of the wicked uſe to infect thoſe that have intercourſewith them.
Tertullian against Valentine.
† Gurnal's ChriftianArmour, part 2. p. 256, 257-
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66 was that unhappyking ſo compaſſed, thatDavid compares " his court to the prophane and barbarous Heathens, among " whom there was ſcarce more wickedness to be found, Pfal,
" cxx. 6. " Wo is me, that I ſojourn, inMeſhech, that I dwell " in the tents of Kedar ;" i. e. among those who were as pro.
" digiously wicked as any there); and no doubt, but this made " this gracious man, inhis banishment, beforehe came to the " crown, (having ſeen the evil ofa diſordered houſe), to refolve
"what he woulddo whenGod ſhould make him the head of " ſuch a royalfamily, Pfal. ci. 7. " Hethatworkethdeceit, ſhall
" not dwell within my houſe; he that telleth lies, ſhall not tarry in my fight."
"Art thougodly ? ſhew thyself ſo in the choice ofhusband " or wife.
I am fure, if fome, (and thoſe godly ones), could " bring no other teftimonials for their godliness, than the care
" they havetaken in this particular, itmight juſtlybe called in- " toqueſtion, bothby themselves and others.
There isno one " thing that gracious perſons, (even thoſe recorded in ſcripture " as well as others), have ſhewn their weakneſs, yea, given of " fence and ſcandal more in, than in this particular, "The fons
" ofGodfaw that the daughters ofmenwere fair, " Gen, vi . 2 , "One would havethought, that the fons ofGod ſhouldhave
" looked for grace inthe heart, rather thanbeauty in the face; " but we fee, eventhey ſometimes turnin at the faireſt ſign,
" without much enquiring what grace isto be founddwelling " within." Look to the rule, O Chriſtian, if thou wiltkeep the power ofholineſs, that is clear as a fun-beam writteninthe ſcripture, " Benot unequally yoked togetherwith unbelievers,"
2Cor. vi. 14.
Infer. 2. Howgreat andwholly fupernatural, marvellous and wonderful is that change which regeneration makes upon thefouls ofmen ! It is a change fromdeath tolife, Luke xv. 24. "This
" my fon was dead and is alive again."
Regeneration is life from the dead; the moſt excellent life from the moſt terrible death: it is the life ofGod re-inſpired intoa ſoulalienated from itby the power of fin, Eph. iv. 18. There are two ſtupenduous changesmadeuponthefoulsofmen, whichjustlychallengehigheſt admiration, viz.
1. That from fin tograce.
2. From grace toglory.
The change from grace toglory is acknowledgedby all, and that juſtly, tobeawonderful change forGod totakeapoorcreatureoutofthefociety of finfulmen; yea, from under thebur: denofmany finful infirmities, whichmade him groan from day
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today inthis world; and inamoment tomake him a complete andperfect foul, ſhining in the beauties of holiness, and filling him, as a veſſel ofglory,withthe unspeakableand unconceivable joys ofhis preſence; to turn his groanings into triumphs, his fighings into fongs of praiſe; this, I ſay, is marvellous, and yet the former change, from fin to grace, is no way inferior to it, nay, in fome reſpect, beyond it; for the change which glory makes upon the regenerate is but a gradual change, but the change which regeneration makes uponthe ungodly is a ſpecifical change. Great and admirable is this work ofGod ; and let itfor ever be marvellous in our eyes, Infer. 3. If unregenerate fouls be deadfouls, what afatal ftrokedoth death give to the bodies of all unregenerate men?
Afouldead in fin, and a bodydead by virtue ofthe curse for fin, and both foul and body remaining for ever under the pow. er ofeternal death, is ſo full and perfect a miſery, as that nothingcan be added to make it more miferable : it is the comfort of a Chriſtian, that he can ſay, when death comes, Non omnis moriar, I ſhall not wholly die; there is a life I live, whichdeath cannot touch. Rom. viii. 13. " Thebody is dead
" becauſe offin; butthe ſpirit is life,becauſe ofrighteouſneſs."
Bleſſed and holy ishe, that hath part in the first refurrection : onfuch the ſecond deathhath no power. As death takes the believer from amidſt many forrows and troubles, and brings himto the viſionofGod, to the general aſſembly ofall theper. fectedſaints, toaſtate ofcomplete freedom and full fatisfaction; ſo it drags the unregenerate from all his ſenſitive delights andcomforts, totheplace oftorment : it buries the dead foul out ofthe prefence ofGod for ever: it is the king of terrors, a ferpent with adeadly ſting, toevery man that is out of Christ .
Infer. 4. Ifevery unregeneratefoulbe a deadfoul, howfad is thecaseofhypocrites andtemporary believers, who aretwice dead?
Theſe are thoſe curſed trees, of which the apostle Jude ſpeaks, Jude ver. 12. " Trees whoſe fruit withereth, without fruit,
" twice dead, pluckedup by the roots."
The apostle alludes untodying trees; trees that are dying, the first time, in the ſpring, then they fade, decay, and caſt of their leaves, when othertrees are fragrant and flourishing: but fromthis firſtdeath they are ſometimes recovered, by pruning, dreſſing, or watering the roots ; but ifin autumn, theydecay again, which isthe critical and climacterical times oftrees, todiscover whether their diſeaſebe mortal ornot; ifthenthey wither anddecaythe ſecond time, the fault is ab intra, the root isrotten, there isnohope
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ofit; thehusbandmanbeſtows no more labour about it, except it be to root it up, for fewel to the fire.
Juſt thus ſtands the caſewith falſe and hypocriticalprofeſſors,who though they were ſtillunder the power of ſpiritual death, yet, in the beginning of theirprofeſſion, theyseemedtobealive; they ſhewed the world the fragrant leaves of a fair profeſſion, many hopeful buddings, of affection towards ſpiritual things were ſeen inthem, but, wanting arootofregeneration, they quickly began towither and caſt their untimely fruit.
However, by the help of ordinances, or ſome rouzing and awakening providences, they ſeem torecover themselves again ; but all will not do, the fault is ab intra, from the want of a good root, and therefore, at last, they who werealways once dead, for want of a principle of regeneration, are now become twice dead, by the withering and decayof their vain profeſſion.
Such trees are prepared for the ſevereſt flames in hell, Matth. xxiv. 51. their portion is the ſaddeſt portion allotted for any ofthe fons of death.
Therefore the apoſtle Peter tells us, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. " For if, after theyhave
" eſcaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge " of the Lord and SaviourJeſus Chriſt, they are again entang- " led therein, and overcome; thelatter end isworſe with them
" than the beginning. For ithad beenbetter for them not to " haveknown the way ofrighteouſneſs, than after they have
" known it, toturn fromthe holy commandment deliveredunto " them."
Double meaſures of wrath ſeem tobe prepared for them that die this double death.
Infer. 5. Ifthis beſo, then unregenerate perfons deserve the greatest lamentations. Andwere this truth heartily believed, we could not but mourn over them, with the moſt tender compaſſion, andhearty forrow.
If our husbands, wives, or chil. drenaredying a naturaldeath,how are ourhearts rent in pieces, with pity and forrow for them? What cries, tears, and wringing ofhands, diſcover the deep ſenſe we haveoftheir miſery !
O Chriſtians, is all the love you have for your relations ſpent upon their bodies ? Are their ſouls of novalue in your eyes ?
Is ſpiritual death no miſery ? Doth it not deserve a tear ? The Lord open your eyes, and duly affect our hearts with ſpiritual death, and foul miſeries.
Confider, myfriends, and let it moveyourbowels, (iftherebe bowels of affection inyou),whilst they remain ſpirituallydead, they are uſeleſs,and wholly unſerviceable untoGod in the world, as to any ſpecial and acceptable ſervice unto him, 2 Tim. ii. 21, theyare incapable ofall ſpiritual comforts fromGod ; they cannot taſte the leaſt ſweetneſs in Chriſt, induties, or inpromiſes,